Gina Palma

I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t active. Field hockey, basketball, softball, you name it- I played it. Athletics were my life. My goals, my future, my overall physical and emotional well-being were all related to athletics. They even helped get me to the University of Iowa where I had the opportunity to play field hockey and get an education. My hips started bothering me during my 3rd year of college, and eventually became bad enough where I could no longer play field hockey. My life goals changed and I felt like I was losing a big part of who I was. I modified all that I could over the years to try and stay active and stay involved in sports, but the pain and lack of function got worse over time. I spent countless hours and dollars going to physical therapy, getting acupuncture, and agonizing through massage therapy. Nothing would give me more than short term relief. I was 32 years old and I could hardly put on my socks and shoes, let alone sleep or get through a work day without some sort of pain medication. My quality of life and function were terrible, and I knew I needed more help than I was getting. I found Dr. Rodriguez through a colleague of mine who told me how reputable he was and what a great bedside manner he had. Those were the 2 qualities I needed to hear to make that initial appointment. When I met Dr. Rodriguez and his team during that initial consultation, I knew my life was going to change. Dr. Rodriguez’s reputation speaks for itself. He was kind, compassionate, empathetic, and thorough. He dealt with my tears of frustration before surgery and my tears of happiness after surgery. Dr. Rodriguez gained my trust from the very moment he stepped into that exam room to the day I left the hospital after having a total bilateral hip replacement. The chronic pain I dealt with for years was gone the moment I opened my eyes after surgery. My range of motion was improved from that day forth and continues to improve over time. I’m back to almost every activity I was doing before my new hips, and am even trying new things- because I can. I continue to appreciate every morning when I wake up and am able to put on my socks and shoes without difficulty. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for Dr. Rodriguez and his team. A team that gave me back my quality of life.